Bridgeport firefighters remembered 9 years after fatal fire
Posted: Updated:Two Bridgeport firefighters who died while responding to a 2010 house fire in the city were remembered during a ceremony Wednesday.
Lt. Steve Velasquez and Mitch Baik died in the line of duty nine years ago while battling a fire on Elmwood Avenue in Bridgeport.
A memorial service was held at Saint Andrew Church to honor the two men.
"That day was a brutally hot day like that day last week, and everything just went wrong," Chief Richard Thode tells News 12.
Thode says each day since the tragic event firefighters are reminded of the two men's sacrifice because their names are etched into Ladder 11.
"We're here to serve, and they were doing what they loved to do, which is serve the community," Thode says.
Firefighters take special care to stay safe in extreme heat
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